Abstract

One of the quality control measures in the construction industry in Ghana is the statutory requirement for the acquisition of permits before the commencement of construction work. The acquisition of these permits, among others, ensures quality of building construction products and less impact on the environment. The process of obtaining these permits has however been observed to be associated with steps that affect the flow of pre-construction activities leading to delays, and possibly cost overruns and decreased value of building construction products. The paper examines the processes involved in obtaining building construction permits and how that impacts flow of activities at the pre-construction stage. The study focused on the Sunyani Municipality, an emerging urban area in Ghana. Permit issuing authorities like the Municipal Assembly, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Fire Service were contacted for data on permit acquisition processes and requirements. Developers and consultants who have been involved in obtaining permits from these authorities were also interviewed. The study points to the acquisition of permits as one of the obstacles in ensuring continuous workflow in the building construction project delivery process, mainly due to lack of integration of process steps as well as delays in processing and issuing the permits

Founded in 1993, the IGLC is an international network of researchers from practice and academia in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) who feel that the practice, education, and research of the AEC industry have to be radically renewed in order to respond to the global challenges ahead.